Fermentation Temp: Why Monitor It & How To Control Temperatures

Why do we care about fermentation temps? What happens if our ferment gets too hot? Is it a problem if your wash is too cold?

In this video, I am going to go over all these questions. Then I will offer a few solutions to actively control the temperature of your fermenter using light bulbs, blankets, heaters, aquarium heaters, fridges and of course the mighty STC-1000.

If you do not know what the STC 1000 is stay tuned. These things are awesome!

STC1000 - 110V-220V:

Brewing Heat Pad:

Brew Belt:
Or

Electric Timer:

Aquarium Heater 100W:

Aquarium Heater 200W:

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[BeerByTheNumbers]

Whether brewing or stilling these tips are really important

[BigEdsGuns]

Excellent info Jessie. Just can't figure out why ANYONE would Dislike this video.
I guess they are out there no matter what you post. Cheers!

[ardnfast]

Great point at around 7:30 regarding temperature control varying at the start and end Jesse.
I put my 1st two washes on (a Turbo and a TPW) and they both reacted well at the start and slowed to a 🐌 at the end.
Unfortunately I tried to bring the temp down early and wasn't able to hold it late BUT now I've learnt a valuable lesson and your video has confirmed this 🙏👌👍
Cheers mate!

[russellmcgahee]

I took some Heating Pads and blue painters tape to secure them to the surface of a 55 gallon barlow. I insulated it with Hot Water heater insulation and control it with a PID controller. Cheap and work's like a Mother. Happy dayz friends.

[chefprov]

My set up: I do 6 gallon mashes. So I got a large washtub (Walmart $10). Have a basic copper wort chiller made to the outside dementions of my ferment. Bucket. 1 put bucket inside wash tub, , 2. Put chiller around fermenter, (inside washtub) fill w/ proper temp water, , hook wort chiller to small submersible pond pump inside of ice chest w/ water and LARGE chunks of ice. Also put aquarium heater IN WATER BATH TUB. I use a inkbird temp controller ($30). So plug the pond pump into the “cold side”, and the aquarium heater on the “hot side” (of inkbird) . When it’s too hot, , the pond pump kicks on and circulates VERY cold water thru the wort chiller, dropping the temp (QUICKLY), when it’s too cold, , the inkbird triggers the aquarium heater, heating the water bath !, this maintains the water bath !! I have found the heater IN the mash is not as efficient, , giving distinct hot spots, where the water bath maintains the temp nicely !! With a large cooler and large ice blocks, you only have to add ice every three days or so !! It’s basically a glycol chiller at a CHEAPER price 👍😎

[SirGolfalot-]

Came across your video. The temp control of fermentation along with product storage/aging was rattling around my head that last few weeks. I just read a paper about how fermentation temps can decrease or increase the ABV % produced by the yeast from below normal to as high as 22%. The test used certain wine yeast within a temp range of 20 C - 26 C. The temp band according to the article did not produce off-flavors, except for the high alcohol smell/taste in the higher temp ABV products produced. The test environment controlled ph as well as nutrient and feeding.

[stevehubb]

Good stuff J keep it up. I use a heat pad with a PID controller and SSR, it keeps the temperature to within at worst 0.5 degrees after a short time - no cooling though....yet . I also use it (in manual as a percentage output) to controll my still heater.

[spyman]

Timely topic. My second ferment is a Bavarian Hefeweizen. I thought it would tolerate warmth better as instructions seemed to allude. 80 degrees in house, no ferment. Before taking drastic measures, I took it to my wife's studio out back where temp is around 68, and ferment is so good, I had to abandon the air lock with a blow off.

[Phantom-vvew]

Thank you Jess I use the same fish tank hitters works ok for my fermentation only use it in winter time

[kennycelt]

Would have never got into this hobby if it wasn't for you Jessy, Slainte. Set up an inkbird lastnight in an old chest freezer with a greenhouse heater connected, cant wait to go out this morning and see how it is performing.🥃🇮🇪

[natrogers]

Hey mate, good videos. ive just started making spirits and your videos have been gold im just about to start a UJSSM after watching your videos. I am in the tropics and i've been brewing my beer in a fridge that is controlled by the BrewPi for a while now. works like a treat, and it also keeps a log of the brews that you do. well worth looking at. ive done mine on the cheap with a little Arduino, old netbook and a little programming. but they do make one ready to plug and play.

[ExploringNewEngland]

like, + love, ++ temp control is key, +++ my homebrew has gotten way more better since I started controlling temps. ;) @ 1:23 you talk about fermentation in winter being to cold for Lagers or what not. winter is the perfect time to do a lager, before I had my temp controlled fridge it was the only way. hehe. my last lager was at like 42* for 3 weeks. And nice I use the same STC1000 in my homebrew setup and I made a box that looks like yours!!. lol for ales when I started out and it was winter I would use a large plastic tote/bin remove the lid add water and add the fish tank heater. it was called a swamp bath setup from what i recall. I would heat the water to what I wanted the beer to be at. I would then set my bucket in the bath and all the temps would even out. those fishtank heaters can do a great job to hold a warm temp. they turn off and on and keep the water nice and steady. that was great on the winter, but in summer need to use the STC 1000 and a fridge or chest freezer. works mint. love it! like how you touched upon the PID as I have no clue on those yet but am curious. you definitely should create a fermentation chamber. I got my RC cola fridge used for 50$ and replaced the door gasket and it is amazing. one draw back it sucks some power when on. lol which is often. ;) love the video.

[Bobbywolf]

There was a bit of a learning curve for me, living in the great white north, fermenting in winter, then in summer.

In winter, the wash is very insulated, and requires the heater within the first 12 hours. In summer, the barrel is uninsulated for the first several days, then insulated for a couple, then finally heated for the remainder. Sometimes it is warm enough (like this friggin heatwave) where no insulation or heating is required at all to finish up. It is never hot enough to need to cool it however, unless I pitch the yeast while the mix is still too warm, which happened to me once and the yeast heated the batch and cooked itself to death.

My favorite tool when mixing a batch is a IR temperature gun for pitching, and a STC-1000 hooked to an aquarium heater (because you should never trust them alone). When there are tools out there to make life easier, why not use them?

[Talon]

Wow - Love it. I'm looking forward to you doing the fermentation chamber.
I lived in Brisbane and never had and issue with fermenting 100 litre batches. had my fermenters on a pallet and they fermented out in a week summer or winter. Now I am in Sydney and using the same fermenters I'm struggling. its OK for the first little while than it slows and the brew belt is just not maintaining the 23 - 27 deg. I'm going to try the aquarium heater at 200 watts. Thanks so much for the info.

[andyoutback]

Food for thought I ran fish tank heaters in my brews for years when I was in a colder climate biggest thing I found was if it was a 25ltr wash use a heater designed for a 25 ltr tank and so on (touch wood) haven't cooked a wash yet

[justsomeguy]

Some of use all ways learn something from your videos. Keep it up man. 🍻

[brendanquinn]

Im building a 200 litre system. Its autumn now in Australia and will be winter soon so heaters are needed. I wish I had seen this a couple of months back when I had a stuck ferment.

[jonathanedwards]

I use one of those submersible heaters, like you are, looks like you were having issues with it over heating because it needs to be fully submerged to correctly control.

[adamcarr]

Dude!! Love ya videos cobber!! I’m brand mew to making spirits and these vids are quickly becoming my go to for answers as I think of the questions! Also, I get to see the beard 3 teed after you bloody starte it!! Hahaha. Good onya

[xiam]

Hey, be extremely careful with the electric heaters with plastic housing, they need to cool down before you completely switch them off. If you don't cool them down before completely shut down they tend to catch fire next time when you switch them back on.
Good point on PID vs. STC.